Cradle of the Uchiha Clan
by kyokasuigetsutotsuka
Summary: Uchiha Madara devastated the Elemental Nations with his godly Kekkei Genkai: the Sharingan. After the legendary man's death, everyone thought the Sharingan died with him, and no one ever thought that it would once again awaken in an orphanage in Konoha. Watch as Naruto break the curse of hatred and shake the world with his power. Naruto x Fem Sasuke, Powerful Sharingan Naruto!
1. Destined Meeting

I Don't Own Naruto

**Cradle of the Uchiha Clan** - Chapter 1

* * *

_'Just a little darker on this side…' _muttered a little boy in his mind as he gently slid his pencil across a piece of paper on his small table. There was a smile on the boy's face as his eyes looked up at the scene he was trying to illustrate; it was simple scenery, just a grass field with a large oak tree in the middle. There were small yellow flowers along the edges of the tree, and the wind was making them sway side to side.

A young woman walked over to the boy and smiled when she saw the beautiful sketch. "That looks beautiful, Naruto-chan, you are very talented in drawing!" chirped the young lady as she knelt down to the boy's height and patted his spiky blond hair.

The boy returned a smile to the lady as he looked up at her. "Thank you, Tsubaki-nee!"

The woman smiled back and nodded. "Now why don't you go back to the main group and play with the other children?"

Naruto shook his head and turned his eyes back to his drawing. "No thank you…I want to keep drawing."

Tsubaki sighed and nodded back. "Okay then, I'll come get you when lunch is ready…" With that, she walked back to a large group of children along with a few adults. They were the few nurses that took care of the orphans in the Konoha orphanage, and they brought the children of one of the largest parks to have a picnic. The orphanage just received more funding from the Hokage, so they admin staff planned a small event to make the children happy.

It broke many people's hearts to see so many orphans living in the orphanage, but it couldn't be helped; many parents died four years ago. No one would ever forget the day the Kyuubi attacked the village. Hundreds of people were killed, almost half of the village was burnt to the ground, and left over two hundred orphans alone in the streets. Naruto was just one in many…but he was one orphan that was very different from the rest…

"He's growing up to be a nice boy, isn't he?" asked an old man quietly to the man beside him as they both stood inside the canopy of a very large tree, overlooking the park. The man was wearing long red and white robes along with a hat that had the Kanji of "Fire" on it; he was the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"He looks just like his father…" said the man next to the Hokage who had thick white hair that looked like a lion's mane. This was Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin and the Spy Master of Konoha. He had a solemn expression on his face as he looked at the boy that was supposed to be his Grandson, and loathed at the fact that he can't be close to him.

The Hokage nodded as he puffed on his pipe. "He's a smart boy; he likes to think according to his caretaker; he is one of the few children his age that wonders where his parents are and why aren't they with him?"

Jiraiya closed his eyes and sighed. "Are we ever going to tell him?"

Sarutobi was silent for a few seconds as he just stared ahead at the boy. "Yes…I will tell him when he is ready."

"And when is that?"

"I don't know…"

After four years of rebuilding and reflecting, Konoha had finally regained most of its former glory. The younger generation of Shinobi was ready to take the lead, and more and more missions were flowing into the village. New names and legends from Konoha were spreading through the world, and the village was slowly regaining its position as the most powerful Ninja Village in the Elemental Nations.

The younger Shinobi really have a huge gap to fill, losing someone as powerful as the Yondaime Hokage will cripple the strength of Konoha for a long while. Real powerful Shinobi were very hard to produce, and even though Konoha still possess most of the Sannin, they no longer had someone like the Kiroi Senko on their side. No longer did the village have a man that could turn the tide of an entire war by himself; no longer did they have someone who could render even the greatest of Shinobi powerless.

But the Hokage had good faith in the boy that was just four years old at the moment…

"Naruto-chan, it is time for lunch!" chirped Tsubaki with a kind smile on her face. "Come on!"

Naruto smiled at his kind caretaker and took her hand as he followed her to the large tarp for lunch. It was seldom for Naruto to actually communicate to the others in his age group; he was one of the most isolated boys in the entire orphanage, and Tsubaki was a little concerned about him. The other children would have their own play groups and friends, but Naruto would only sit by himself as he drew the sceneries that interest him. She had tried putting him in play groups before, but it didn't work…

"Thank you…" said Naruto politely as he accepted the sandwich one of the male caretakers gave to him.

"You're welcome, little buddy!"

All the staff really liked Naruto; he was a smart and bright boy that had a very cute baby face. He was one of the more articulate children, and was always very polite. He had become a wonder of a sort to the staff; no one could really explain where he learnt his manners from, and when asked him, the boy merely said that he learned from watching the adult's converse.

His pencil sketches have also been some of the most talked about subjects by the admin staff; it was hard to believe that such a young boy would be able to create something so beautiful and complex. Naruto had gifted Tsubaki with several of his sketches, and she had one of them in her office, and several more in her own home.

"How's the sandwich, Naruto-chan?" asked Tsubaki as she sat down next to the boy. "I made it myself!"

Naruto smiled as he chewed. "It's really good!"

The caretaker giggled and leaned down to kiss the top of the boy's head. "You are so sweet!"

Jiraiya smiled at the sight of the boy interacting with the staff, and was silently thanking Kami-sama above that no one found out about the Yondaime's legacy. It was the decision of the Sandaime and Jiraiya that no one except for the two of them would know of the true identity of Naruto and the _thing_ sealed into him. It was handled swiftly and carefully. Jiraiya made sure that every potential threat to Naruto thought he was killed along with his parents, and that included his own snake-like teammate, as well as the Sandaime's teammates. The last thing they would want was for Danzo to take Naruto under his wing, if that actually happened, Jiraiya promised himself and his student that he would stop at nothing to kill the man.

"Keep your eyes on him okay…I have to go."

The Sandaime nodded before he looked over at his student. "How long are you going to take this time?"

Jiraiya shrugged. "I'm not sure…it depends if Iwagakure and Kumogakure are really plotting something against us, if they aren't then I'll be back in a few months."

"Okay, I'll make sure that he is taken care of."

The Sannin sighed and turned around. "He's almost five years old…let him learn."

I'm not going to push his learning; I want him to have a normal and peaceful childhood." The Sandaime looked up to the sky as he puffed on his pipe. "Kushina would have wanted the same thing for her son…" muttered the old man as he looked back down at the boy. "These are peaceful times, Jiraiya; let the boy make friends, play around, and just enjoy his life."

Jiraiya sighed as he crossed his arms. "Sensei, you know as well as I do that Naruto is going to be a huge part of Konoha's future…" The Sannin looked over at the Hokage with stern eyes. "I'm not saying that we should train him like the other villages are training their Jinchuriki; I love the boy like my own grandson, but despite all this we have to make sure that he has the power to control his Bijuu when the time calls for him to."

"And how do you propose we do that?" asked Sarutobi as he looked back at his student through the corner of his eyes. "There is nobody with the Shodai's powers around, so how are we going to train him to control the Kyuubi?"

"Fuinjutsu…" said Jiraiya calmly without any needed thought. "He is Minato and Kushina's son, so I'm sure that he'll be very talented in Fuinjutsu." The Hokage closed his eyes as he exhaled some smoke. "Let him learn about the arts of sealing, and maybe when he is older, he would be able to control the beast like his Mother did."

"Fine…" muttered the Sandaime as he opened his eyes to his student. "I will have my people slip some Fuinjutsu books into his room…maybe he'll read it and learn, but I will not give him formal Shinobi training until he is at least six years old."

Jiraiya smiled and nodded. "Well that gives him two years before he could start learning…" The white haired man looked back down at the little boy who looked so much like his surrogate son. "I know it's not certain, but I have a feeling that Naruto would be as talented as his Father."

The Sandaime sighed and held his hands behind his back. "Let us hope so…"

Naruto had a smile on his face as he chomped down on the sandwich that looked gigantic in his small hands, and Tsubaki had to smile back at the cute sight. The caretaker felt bad about seeing such a delightful boy without parents or any relatives; he was so smart and bright that he was starting to think about where his family had gone. It was one of the worst things a caretaker at the orphanage would ever face; trying to answer a child when they ask why he or she doesn't have a mom and dad.

"Are you full, Naru-chan?"

The blond boy smiled and nodded as he diligently wiped his mouth clean with a napkin. "Yep, thank you!" Naruto looked over to the east end of the park before he looked back up at his caretaker. "Tsubaki-nee, can I please go over there?"

Tsubaki smiled and ruffled Naruto's hair. "Of course you can, but be careful…"

"I will!"

The boy grabbed his sketch book and pencils before he excitedly ran over to the other side of the park. Unknown to him, Tsubaki along with two of the most powerful men in the village were looking at him. They all smiled a little when they saw him run as fast as his little legs could carry him towards the pretty rose garden. There was a smile on his face that only a child could muster; it reflected the boy's playfulness, his innocence, and love of beauty. Just that moment, as the sun shone brightly on Naruto's blond hair, Jiraiya knew that Minato was watching over the boy from heaven…

* * *

**Two Years Later **

A child, no older than six years of age, was standing in front of the Konoha River tossing a small rock. It was a young girl, and she had a small pout on her lips as she watched the flat rock she threw fall hopelessly into the running river. It was the evening of a hot summer day, and the girl's white sundress was covered in a light shade of orange sunlight that illuminated the village. Her obsidian black eyes darted around the ground for other pieces of rocks with flat edges as she walked around in her little white sandals.

"Stupid river…I swear I will get a rock across today!"

The girl suddenly smile when she found a coin shapes rock and quickly leaned down to pick it up; not caring that it was covered in dirt and made her hands dusty. Her eyes were twinkling with excitement as she ran over to the edge of the river and pulled her arms back. With a silent encouraging phrase to herself, the girl whipped her arm out and threw the rock as hard as she could…

But after five skips, the rock was taken over by the water and sank…

The girl pouted and stomped her feet on the ground. "Dammit!" cried the girl using the word her mother would use whenever she would lose something in the house.

"You're arms movements were wrong…" said a voice of another child from a small distance from the girl.

The girl looked back at the sudden voice and saw a boy around her age walk out from the road that led back to the village. He had weird hair in her opinion; it was bright yellow and seemed to spike up randomly, but she also saw that he had the bluest eyes she had ever seen. He was wearing a black shirt with white khaki shorts, and he had his hands in his pockets as he walked over to her.

"Who are you?" asked the girl with her hands on her hips; she was a little mad that the boy saw her fail at throwing.

The boy ignored her question and picked up a relatively flat rock from the ground. "When you throw the rock, you have to make sure that your arm is moving in a straight line so you don't waste any strength behind your throw." The boy stepped forward and just flicked his arms out; the rock flew out of his hand and skipped multiple times before it reached the other side of the river.

The girl's mouth was open but she didn't know what to say…

"See?" asked the boy kindly with a smile on his face.

The girl huffed and turned her head to the side. "Lucky throw…" she muttered softly as she tapped her foot against the ground.

The boy smiled and picked up another rock from the ground. "Come on, try it again." The boy said as he held the rock out to the girl.

The girl looked at the rock through the corner of her eyes and eventually gave in…

"Fine!"

The girl took the rock from the boy's hand and walked back over to the edge of the river. Her mind was thinking through how she should make her arm move in a more controlled manner so she wouldn't waste any power behind her throw. She closed her eyes and played through the scene a few times in her mind before she looked back at the river that looked as wide as ever…

With a quick exhale, the girl whipped her arm out and threw the rock across the river. This time she felt the difference in her arms, and she was slightly surprised to see the rock going further and further across the river. Then, after a few agonizing seconds, the rock landed on the other side.

"Wow…it actually worked."

The boy smiled and nodded. "Wow, you're pretty smart; you got it right after I said it!"

The girl's pride was a little wounded from taking such simple advice from a stranger, but was grateful nonetheless. "You know I would have thought about throwing it like that eventually; you didn't have to rush out just to make me feel stupid…"

The boy was surprised and quickly shook his head as he waved his hands in the air. "I didn't mean to make you feel stupid; I-I just wanted to help!"

The girl giggled a little at the boy's shocked expression. "It's okay, thank you for teaching me!" said the girl with a sincere smile.

The boy blushed a little and nodded. "You're welcome…" said the blond as he walked up to the girl and extended his hand. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, by the way."

The girl shook Naruto's hand as she nodded. "I'm Uchiha Sayuri, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Sayuri-san."

"SAYURI, WHERE ARE YOU?!" cried the loud voice of a woman from within the woods behind the river.

Sayuri suddenly looked a little scared and quickly looked over to that direction. "Sorry, but I have to go; my Kaa-chan is looking for me." The girl ran back through the woods to find her mother, but she turned back and waved a goodbye to her new friend. "See you later, Naruto!"

Naruto stood in the same spot with a smile on his face, "Uchiha Sayuri…what a funny girl!"

"Yo, Naruto!" cried another voice of a young boy from the other side of the river as a few loud barks of a small puppy reached his ears. "Why are you on the other side of the river; we're meeting at the park on this side, remember?"

Naruto smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm coming Kiba!"

As the blond boy ran over to the other park to meet with his friends, he couldn't help but think about the girl he just met; particularly her smile…

_'Uchiha Sayuri…I hope that I see you again.'_

* * *

The Uchiha Clan home was one of the largest properties in Konoha, which was understandable since it was the second estate ever built in the village. It housed over three hundred members in fifty different homes, and the largest one of them all was the main clan house. It was owned and lived by the leader of the Uchiha Clan; Uchiha Fugaku and his family.

Fugaku was not only the head of the most powerful clan in Konoha; he was also the in command of the Konoha Police Force, which consisted of mainly other Uchiha members. The man was known throughout Konoha as the one who keeps order in the streets, but was equally known for having a very talented son…

"Itachi, I want you to cancel the mission you have next week, I need you here for a clan meeting…" said the strict father as he looked down at his bowing son.

Uchiha Itachi was the most talented Uchiha to be born into the Uchiha Clan for many years. Just eleven years old and he has already been drafted into the ANBU Black Ops. He was the pride and joy of the Uchiha Clan, and one of the possible Hokage Candidates of the future…at least it was what most villagers thought.

"Tou-san, I already accepted the mission and Hokage-sama has already confirmed it; it would be highly irresponsible of me to cancel the meeting at this time."

"This is not up for discussion!" said Fugaku with no place for argument. "I will talk to Hokage-sama myself tomorrow and have him use someone else for the mission; I need you here with me next week for the clan meeting!"

Itachi sighed inwardly and just bowed his head to his Father. "Okay…I understand, Tou-san."

"You're free to leave; I believe your mother is looking for you."

"Thank you, Tou-san."

The Uchiha prodigy walk out of the room silently and closed the door behind him, but his foul mood was immediately lifted when he saw his baby sister practicing her Shurikenjutsu by herself in the backyard. The girl was concentrating very hard as she threw her metal weapons, and she was doing much better than she did the last time Itachi watched her.

From what he could see, Sayuri had already gotten rid of her mistake of letting her elbow flail out of control when she would throw her weapons; her technique had become more polished and controlled, and she was finally developing some muscle memory. Sayuri managed to hit eight out of ten targets, which was much better than the five out of ten she had just over a week ago.

"Sayuri…" said Itachi as he walked over to his sister.

Sayuri and a bright smile on her face when she saw her brother. "Nii-san, come here!" The girl ran over to Itachi and grabbed onto his hand. "Look, I got eight targets!"

Itachi nodded with a rare smile on his face. "Yes I can see that…you've gotten rid of your arm problem." The young man looked down at the beaming girl and poked her forehead with his fingers. "Did you ask Kaa-chan for help?"

"Nope!" chirped the girl as she rubbed her forehead. "I met this boy at the river today, and he showed me my mistake."

"Then this boy is pretty smart; is he a Genin?" asked Itachi as he knelt down to Sayuri's height.

"No way, I think he is about the same age as me…" said the girl as she tilted her head in thought.

"Wow, then he's really smart." Itachi was genuinely surprised that someone so young could have spotted Sayuri's mistake; it was a very small error that most people wouldn't have been able to see, much less a six year old. "What was the boy's name?"

Sayuri smiled. "His name is Naruto!"

Itachi smiled at his baby sister and ruffled her hair. "If you see him in the academy next year, try to sit next to him; he knows what he's doing."

The girl pouted. "Hey, Nii-san!" she cried loudly. "I know what I'm doing too, I don't need his help!"

The young ANBU member chuckled and patted the girl's head. "Okay, you're smart too…"

Sayuri smirked and crossed her arms. "That's right!" The girl raised her chin as she looked at her brother. "Just you wait Nii-san; I'll beat you and graduate the academy even sooner than you did!"

Itachi wanted nothing more than for his baby sister to have a happy and peaceful life; he wanted Sayuri to keep her childish innocence for as long as possible; he didn't want her to become like him. "Take you time at the academy, Sayuri; graduating faster is not necessary a good thing…"

* * *

"Did you take a shower, Naru-chan?" asked Tsubaki as she stood by the door of Naruto's room.

Naruto looked up from his desk and nodded at his caretaker with a smile on his face. "Yes, Tsubaki-nee, I just finished."

Tsubaki smiled and nodded. "Okay then, goodnight Naru-chan; don't stay up too late." The young woman closed the door and made her way back to her own room just in the building next to the main building. With the large amount of funds gathered for the orphans of the village, they were able to build a building large enough so each child could have a room of their own, and Naruto had one on the top floor of the building; one with a beautiful view that he would enjoy sketching almost every night…

But tonight he was sketching something entirely different…

On his desk, instead of the usual sketch of the night sky, was a detailed depiction of Uchiha Sayuri. It was the same scene that was at the river; the girl was standing in front of the river with a gentle smile on her face. She was wearing the same sundress that was bathing in the orange sunlight, and the wind was blowing through her silky black hair just as before.

_'A little darker on this lip…' _thought Naruto to himself as he added a darker shade to Sayuri's bottom lip. _'There, done!' _The boy held the sketch in front of his face and admired his own recreation of the most beautiful smile he had ever seen in his life. _'I'll give this to Sayuri-san the next time I see her!'_

* * *

**The End!**

**This is the first chapter of "Cradle of the Uchiha Clan", which is essentially a rewrite of Uchiha Legend. I am going to change things up a bit, but the overall premise will still be the same as before. The Sharingan will be a Kekkei Genkai that is like Mokuton, only one person has ever awakened it; the Uchiha Clan will only be known for their powerful Chakra and unsurpassed Fire Jutsu.**

**The pairing is obviously going to be Naruto x Sayuri, just like the previous version of this story. There will be absolutely no harem or second girl; this will be a monogamous story all the way through.**

**PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK AND LEAVE A REVIEW! XD**


	2. The Academy

I Don't Own Naruto!

**Cradle of the Uchiha Clan - Chapter 2 **

* * *

"Add another layer here…" muttered Naruto softly to himself as his hand lightly dragged his brush pen across a small scroll on his desk. The white surface of the scroll was filled with many different symbols that most wouldn't understand, and it should be far beyond the years of a six years old boy, but it seemed that the blood of the Uzumaki Clan ran very strongly in his veins.

Morning had just broken and some sunlight shone into the small room, but the boy had been awake for almost two hours. It was the first day of the month, which was also the day the academy started its new term. After two years of waiting for time to pass, Naruto finally has his chance to enroll into the academy and learn real Ninjutsu, and he wanted to be ready for his classes.

A smile came onto the boy's face as he finished adding some small details to his scroll and he sat up on his chair and stretched out his constricted arms. After a much needed yawn, Naruto shook his head and stood up from his desk chair. He had already prepared his own personal notes and stationary the previous night; all he had to do now was to seal them into his scroll.

The blond boy lifted his books and placed him on the large circle on the scroll. "Okay…let's see if this works!" Naruto placed his hands on top of the stack of books and channeled some chakra to his hands, just like the Fuinjutsu books instructed, and much to his amazement, the books disappeared with a poof of smoke. Naruto held his fists together as he grinned in excitement, "YATTA!"

"Naru-chan…" said a sudden and very familiar voice from the boy's door. "What are you doing up so early?"

The boy looked shocked when his door opened and Tsubaki looked in at him. "T-Tsubaki-nee!"

The young woman walked into the room with a small smile on her face and patted the boy's head lightly. "You still have a lot of time before the academy starts, so go back to sleep."

"I can't!" exclaimed Naruto happily. "I am finally going to the academy; I'm too excited to sleep!"

Tsubaki sat down on Naruto's bed and pulled him close. "You really want to become a Shinobi, huh?"

"Of course; it's all I've been thinking about for the past few years!" There was a large grin on the boy's face as he sat down next to his surrogate sister. "I've read all about the Shinobi Arts and how they are used, and now I can finally learn how to use them!"

"Listen, Naru-chan; I work in this orphanage as a long-term mission…" started the woman as she wrapped her arm around Naruto's shoulders. "As you know, I am a Chunin of Konoha, so I must tell you now that being a Shinobi is not something fun…it is a very dangerous out there in the Shinobi World, and I need you to know that before you make your final decision."

"Nee-chan, I know all about the missions and tasks Shinobi carry out there in the real world…" Naruto had snuck into the adult restricted section of the library before and had read some of the mission logs. "I admit that I was horrified at the information and am still not ready to so such things, but I will learn and grow as I become a better Shinobi, so don't worry about me."

Tsubaki sighed and leaned in to kiss Naruto's head. "You are just a little boy…so promise me you won't grow up too fast."

Naruto chuckled and nodded happily at his only family member. "I promise!"

"Okay then…" Tsubaki stood up and ruffled Naruto's hair. "Get a little more sleep and I'll wake you up later when it's time."

"Okay!"

As soon as Tsubaki closed the door Naruto jumped from his bed and ran back to his desk. He finished sealing the rest of his needs for class and placed the four scrolls in total on top of one scroll; he sealed them inside the scroll and sealed the final scroll inside a seal he drew on his arm. The boy moved his arm around and found that he could feel no additional weight; all the mass of the scrolls were sealed within the ink and he couldn't even feel them.

With a bright smile on his face, the boy plopped down on his bed staring up at the ceiling…

_'Come on…only about an hour to go!' _

* * *

The Ninja Academy in the village was one of the first buildings ever constructed by the Shodai Hokage, and it was responsible for producing countless legends in the Shinobi World. Everyone who wanted an official Shinobi license in the village would have to partake in the academy graduation examination; be it a clan heir from a prominent family, or the son of a civil commoner, they all have to pass the same test to become a Ninja.

The building itself was not particularly impressive; it was a simple edifice of three stories. The main building was at the center of many surrounding facilities, such as several training grounds, a large library, a simulated lake, a small forest, and the main staff office. More and more facilities have been built in recent years to add to the curriculum of the academy; it was important to the students that they have the most realistic training that would allow them to adjust quicker into the real Shinobi World when they graduate.

"Wow…I've never actually been through the main entrance before!" Naruto was walking a few steps ahead of Tsubaki as they walked into the main courtyard of the academy, which was already filled with people. The boy was wearing a nice mesh shirt under a white jacket, a pair of black Shinobi pants with black sandals.

"Stay close, Naruto-chan…" Tsubaki couldn't help but smile at the excitement on her little brother's face; it was really cute in her opinion.

Looking around, Naruto saw many people with strange symbols on their clothing, most of them he had seen before. There was a large group of adults standing near the front of the academy, and they all had the Hyuga Symbol etched onto their clothing. The boy knew full well that the Hyuga was one of the largest clans in Konoha, and he assumed that one of their children must be attending as a new student today…

"Yo Naruto!" cried a boisterous voice from behind the blond and he looked back to see his best friend running towards him.

"Hey Kiba!" The two boys shared a high-five and a laugh as they grinned in excitement.

Naruto had met the Inuzuka boy about two years ago at the park. Tsubaki took Naruto out to have some fun and they ran into the Inuzuka Clan Head and her son. The feral boy almost immediately asked Naruto to play with him the moment they walked into the park, and the boys became fast friends after that.

At first Tsubaki was concerned about Naruto playing with one of the main clan heirs of Konoha, but Tsume, the Inuzuka Clan Head, assured her that it was perfectly alright. The Inuzuka Clan had always been a loyal and down-to-earth people, and she was glad that Kiba had found a good friend in Naruto. Kiba had also introduced Naruto to some of his other friends, which included some of the other clan heirs of Konoha.

"Are you ready to become actual Shinobi?!" asked Kiba with a determined look on his face as Akamaru barked happily in his master's coat.

Naruto chuckled and nodded. "Of course, but we won't be actual Shinobi for another few years."

"Oh come on man, be more positive!" exclaimed Kiba loudly. "We'll graduate in one year at most!"

Someone suddenly smacked Kiba on the head, making him cringe in shock. Looking up, Naruto saw Kiba's mother, Tsume standing over them with a slight scowl on her face, but Naruto smiled at her. At first, Naruto thought Tsume looked a little intimidating with her fang tattoos and very big Ninken, but as he got to know her she had become a surrogate aunt of sorts; someone who would buy him sweets and ruffle his hair every time.

"Don't get too arrogant, Kiba!" said the alpha mother as she have her son a small glare. "You will still be a pup even if you graduate!"

Kiba sulked a little as Naruto waved at Tsume, "Ohayo Tsume-obasan!"

The woman smiled down at the blond boy and ruffled his hair. "Hey kid, are you excited for this?"

Naruto chuckled and nodded. "Yep, I woke up two hours early because I was too excited!"

"Yes, too excited indeed…" said Tsubaki as she walked up and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Good morning, Tsume-sama."

"Good morning, Tsubaki-san." Tsubaki and Tsume had become quite fond of each other since they would often talk with each other when they would pick up either Naruto or Kiba from the park, which was basically every day.

Kiba saw someone familiar a little ways from them and quickly turned to Naruto. "Hey, let's go over there; I think I saw the guys!"

Naruto turned back to look a Tsubaki; silently asking for permission, and she smiled and gave a curt nod. The blond boy smiled back and immediately ran along with Kiba, squeezing through the crowded area looking for his friends…

"He really is a good kid…" muttered Tsume with a fond smile as she looked at her son running with Naruto.

Tsubaki nodded with a proud smile. "I know he is…"

Kiba was running ahead of Naruto and did most of the pushing and shoving, which the latter was perfectly fine with; the Inuzuka boy seemed to have no qualms being a little rude to the adult around them. Naruto followed close after his best friend, but he couldn't see anything from where he was standing; the adults were far too tall and blocked most of his sight.

As the blond boy passed by many groups he saw many clans that he had only heard of before. There was the Aburame Clan that he knew was one of the four largest clans in Konoha; it seemed that the heir of the clan was attending the new school year and many from his clan came to celebrate the beginning of his Shinobi life. Naruto couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if he was born into a dominant clan with very powerful parents like his friends, but he quickly shook his head at the thought; he knew that it would only make him depressed about his late-parents. Even after so many years as an orphan, Naruto couldn't stand the fact that he didn't even know who his parents were…

"Hey Naruto, over here!" cried a sudden voice from the left of the two boys.

Naruto tapped Kiba on his shoulder and pointed to the side. "He's over there…" The blond started to lead the way over to their close friend Akimichi Chouji, who was the heir to the Akimichi Clan, another powerful clan of Konoha. Chouji was one of the boys Kiba had introduced him to, and they had become great friends since that day a few years ago.

"Hey Chouji!" greeted Naruto with a smile on his face.

"Hey guys!" Chouji was a chubby boy which reflected his heritage as a member of the Akimichi Clan. He was a little taller than both Naruto and Kiba, which was something that Kiba blamed on Chouji's large appetite compared to them.

"This is just so troublesome…" muttered a dead-panned voice from behind Chouji, and Naruto smiled at the sight of a pineapple haired boy who was just a little shorter than the rest of them.

Kiba chuckled and playfully slapped the tired looking boy on his shoulder. "Come on, wake up Shikamaru; it's only the first day of school!" Akamaru barked out loud from Kiba's coat and Shikamaru cringed at the volume.

"This is going to be awesome!" exclaimed Naruto happily as he grinned at his friends. "I can't wait to actually learn real Ninjutsu!"

Some chuckling was heard from the side as several adults walked up to the group of boys. The most obvious person was a very tall and wide man; he was the Head of the Akimichi Clan and the father of Chouji; all the kids knew him quite well and liked him a lot because he would usual hand out a lot of candy and treats to them; he was Akimichi Choza.

The next person was a man with some scars of his face that Naruto found a little scary the first time he met the man, but he had become a surrogate uncle of a sort for Naruto; he was Shikamaru's father and from what Naruto had heard from Tsubaki, also the head of the Jounin Council of Konoha. He was also the head of the Nara Clan, one of the lesser but wealthy clans in Konoha; he name was Nara Shikaku.

"You boys should get mentally ready for this…this is the start of a very long career for all of you." Choza said with a fatherly smile on his very kind face.

Shikaku chuckled and crossed his arms. "Hopefully the academy would finally show these kids that Shinobi life is not all explosions and glory." The Nara Clan Head had helped the Sandaime Hokage reform the academy system a few years ago, and now he was more confident when sending his son to the place.

"Whatever…I just want to get this over with and go take a nap." Shikamaru yawned and scratched his belly as he just looked around.

Naruto chuckled at his friend's typical behavior and shook his head. "How many hours of sleep do you need?"

"As much as possible…"

"Naruto-kun, did you get your registration papers ready?" asked Choza kindly.

"Yep, Tsubaki-neechan already prepared them for me!"

"Good, you would need them later…" Both Choza and Shikaku smiled at how friendly and cheerful Naruto was at the moment. When the first met the blond boy a few years ago he was rather shy and inverted, but after a few years with some good friends he had become a wonderful young boy that reflected his heritage…

"Hey you!" cried a sudden voice from behind Naruto. The boy turned back with a confused expression on his face, but was shocked when he saw someone throw a small rock at his direction. His reflexes came in and he caught the stone just before it would have struck him hard on the face…

"What the hell?!" exclaimed Kiba as he stepped closer to his best friend; he didn't like the fact someone tried to attacked Naruto.

"Remember me?" asked the person who threw the rock.

Naruto's eyes widened when he saw the same face he would see every night on his desk before he went to bed, but instead of being a pencil sketch, this one was real. It was Uchiha Sayuri, and she looked the same as he remembered. She still had the same flowing black hair that reached down to her lower back, the same obsidian black eyes that had a glimmer of playfulness in them, and the same composure that suggested great confidence and pride.

"Hello again, Sayuri-san…" greeted Naruto as he walked closer to the girl; tossing the rock in his hand up and down. "I see you've gotten better at throwing rocks…any faster and it would have hit me in the face." Naruto thought Sayuri looked very nice; she was wearing a blue kimono that stopped at her waist, a pair of white Shinobi shorts, and white knee-socks with simple blue sandals.

Sayuri smirked and placed her hand on her hips. "Well I knew you could have caught it…"

Chouji nudged Shikamaru and Kiba. "Who is the girl?"

"I don't know, and why did she just chuck a rock at Naruto?" asked Kiba as he shook his head. "There is something wrong with her..."

Shikamaru just shrugged and yawned...

"What are you doing, Sayuri?" asked the girl's older brother as he came into view. "I'm sorry about my sister, Shikaku-san, Choza-san." The older Uchiha knew who were the men standing behind the boys, and couldn't believe that Sayuri just threw something at their direction.

Shikaku chuckled as Choza laughed. "Don't worry Itachi-kun, but I am surprised that your sister knows Naruto-kun."

Sayuri looked a little sheepish once she figured out who those men were, and decided to change the subject as soon as possible. "Sorry about that, but I was a little excited to throw something at Naruto..." The girl blushed as she shook her head. "Not that I want to hurt him; it's just something fun between us..." The girl looked away from the adults with a blush and looked up at her brother while pointing at Naruto. "He's the one who taught me that one time..."

"Oh." Itachi smiled a little as he looked down at the blond boy. "Hello Naruto-kun, I am Uchiha Itachi, Sayuri's older brother."

Naruto smiled back at the older male and bowed al little, "Nice to meet you, Itachi-san."

"Hey Shikaku, Choza…" said a sweet voice coming from behind Itachi and Sayuri. "I was wondering where you guys were." When Naruto saw the woman he immediately thought that she was an older version of Sayuri; they had the same hair, eyes and even skin tone. She was wearing an elegant purple kimono and had a graceful stride to her steps.

"Hello Mikoto, how are you today?" asked Choza smiling.

"Good, Sayuri-chan had been looking forward to this for a long time." Mikoto smiled down at her little girl and ruffled her hair, making Sayuri blush a little and try to move away from her affectionate mother.

"So where is Fugaku?" asked Shikaku looking around for the Uchiha Clan Head, one of the most powerful men in Konoha.

"Oh he's over there somewhere talking to the Headmaster…"

Sayuri pulled on her mother's sleeve and pointed over at Naruto. "Kaa-san, he's the one who taught me how to throw properly a while back…" The girl had told her parents about Naruto a while back, and Mikoto wanted to thank the boy personally for teaching her daughter; for someone the same age as Sayuri to teach her something was a rare thing to see; the Uchiha girl was already plenty talented.

Naruto smiled at the lady and bowed. "Hello, I am Uzumaki Naruto."

Mikoto looked down at the boy and immediately let out a gasp before her eyes widened. The kids were all confused at her strange reaction, but she quickly covered up her shock. A gentle smile appeared on her face as she patted Naruto on the head…

"Hello Naruto-kun, thank you for helping my daughter…" Her hands were slightly shaking as she touched Naruto's blond hair.

The boy shook his head and gave a bright smile. "No problem…I was just being kind of nosy."

Sayuri smirked and crossed her arms. "Don't worry; soon you will be the one asking me for help…"

"We'll see about that!"

Mikoto had a sad frown on her face as she looked at her daughter interacting with Naruto; it reminded her greatly of her own first day at the academy. She couldn't believe that she had never checked the orphanages for someone like Naruto…even at first glance she could tell who he was. The boy was the perfect combination of her best friends…

_'He looks so much like Minato…and smiles exactly like Kushina.' _

The loud ring of the academy bell rang throughout the courtyard, meaning that all the students should start their way into the academy and report to the main assembly hall for the Hokage's welcoming speech. Naruto immediately perked up at the sound and quickly followed after Kiba, who basically ran over to the source of the sound. Sayuri, not wanting to be outdone by Naruto, quickly ran after him despite the fact that she didn't like pushing through crowds. The other boys soon followed, but they were walking much slower and took their time with getting through the crowded area…

"Kaa-san is something the matter?" asked Itachi as he placed a hand on his mother's shoulder.

Mikoto managed a smile and shook her head. "Nothing, I'm just a little tired; why don't you go ahead and make sure your sister knows where she's going."

Itachi knew that something was wrong with his mother; he didn't need to be an ANBU Captain to figure that out, but nodded and went on ahead as he was told. His mother was a very collected person, and for her to react so strangely meant that it must be something serious. Itachi would ask about it later, but would wait until they were at home…

As soon as Itachi was out of sight, Mikoto had tears welling in her eyes and covered her mouth with her hands. She felt like her heart was breaking as she thought back to the smile on Naruto's face. Mikoto was mentally hitting herself for not looking harder for her best friend's child…she assumed that their baby died along with them and never thought that something like this would happen…

"Mikoto…" started Shikaku seriously as he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Whatever you see…you must keep a secret; there must have been a reason we weren't told of him, but no matter what we must act as if we know nothing…"

"B-But…" Mikoto stammered through her tears. "He's their son…my godson."

Choza frowned and nodded. "I know how you feel, Mikoto; the first day I saw Naruto-kun I almost fainted, but we have to act as if there is nothing special about this."

Mikoto turned to face her friends fully and glared a little at them. "Why didn't you tell me about him?" The woman hissed angrily. "You've known about him…why didn't you tell me?!" Shikaku sighed as Choza looked away. "I am his godmother…"

"We are not sure of anything…even now we are only assuming that he is their son, so spreading this knowledge around would only put the boy in danger from his father's enemies…" Shikaku looked at Mikoto very seriously. "His father was one of my best friends and leader…it pains me to see him live as an orphan as well, but unless Hokage-sama discloses this information officially, anything we do would just be bad for the boy."

"What are you talking about?!" muttered Mikoto trying to keep her voice down. "I could have given him a home and a family…he could have grown up with Sayuri and Itachi as siblings!" Some people around them were looking at the scene with interest, but nobody really wanted to see several of the clan heads fight so they quickly left.

Choza walked closer to the distressed woman and shook his head. "All of us would have been willing to adopt the boy, but it would have caused a lot of attention to be directed to him, and unless Hokage-sama says something, we didn't want to act blindly."

Shikaku nodded. "If the Hokage-sama wanted us to know about him he would have told us, and if he wanted someone close to his parents to adopt then Jiraiya-sama would have taken him the day after they died, so all we can do now is to watch over him from the side and help him in the most discreet and safe manner."

Mikoto stayed silent as tears fell from her eyes…she felt like she had completely failed her best friend.

"Come on…we have to go in before the kids miss us."

Mikoto slowly turned around and wiped her tears. _'I'm so sorry Kushina…I promise, from now on I will make sure you little boy gets anything he needs.' _

* * *

Within half an hour, all the new students and their families made their way inside the assembly hall of the academy. The students were led by the teachers to take seats along the very front of the hall where they could fully see the Hokage on his podium. The parents and families were seated right behind the children; the Clan Heads and their clan members sat closer to the front and the civilian parents mostly sat at the back. The lights were turned down to a low dim as everyone awaited the arrival of their leader…

Mikoto sat next to Itachi and her husband, Fugaku. The man was concerned about his wife's semi-swollen eyes as was their son, but decided to leave the questions until they were under their own roof. The Uchiha Matriarch couldn't help but look down several rows of kids and stare at a head of spiky blond hair. The boy was sitting right next to her own daughter, who should have been his close friend or even sister if she found out about Naruto earlier.

_'No wonder he was able to help Sayuri-chan solve her problem…he's probably just as talented as Minato…'_

The sound of someone walking up to the stage made everyone focus at the podium. An old man wearing long white robes over a red kimono walked up to the podium, and his hat had the Kanji for "Fire" etched onto it. His wrinkled face was illuminated by the stage lights, but instead of seeming old and frail; his wrinkles reflected his vast experience and power. Everyone looked up at the old with respect; the respect only the Hokage would receive.

"Good morning to you all…" started to old and gruff voice of the Sandaime.

Naruto looked up at the old man with widened eyes; he had read all about the glory of the Sandaime Hokage, the man who was considered the strongest Shinobi of his generation. People in Konoha would call him the Professor because he was known to know every single Jutsu inside the village except for the clan exclusive ones…Naruto held the man at very high regards, just seconds to his favorite Hokage, the Yondaime, who saved the village from the Kyuubi all those years ago.

"Looking out and seeing your young faces…I couldn't help be feel optimistic. You are the future of our village and the future protectors of our home. Some of you will become Chunin who would watch over the daily life of our village, some of you will become Jounin and become the warriors of our village, but above all…one of you will probably become Hokage…"

All the Clan Heads that were close to Minato couldn't help but remember how he reacted to the Sandaime's speech. The blond boy, not much different from his son today, smiled proudly at the thought of himself standing at the top of the village wearing his Hokage Robes…not knowing that he would achieve that goal just a decade later.

Shikaku smiled as he looked over at the row of kids. _'Everyone is accounted for…the new Ino-Shika-Cho Trio is here, the Inuzuka and Aburame are here…the Uchiha and Hyuga are here…' The man chuckled as he shook his head. 'Even your boy is here…Minato, Kushina.'_

_'This is the start of a new generation…' _thought Tsume as she thought back to the times she spent with all her friends in their academy days. _'I can still remember Kushina beating the shit out of those boys like it was yesterday…'_

Choza suppressed the urge to pull out a bag of chips from his pocket and focused on the Hokage speaking. _'Hokage-sama doesn't change his speech…he said almost the exact same thing all those years ago…'_

"You are the proud sons and daughters of Konohagakure no Sato…no matter what family you are from or what last name you carry, you are all future heroes of our beautiful home; take pride in that!" The Sandaime placed his hands behind his back and stood tall. "May the Will of Fire burn brightly within you all!"

Immediate applause shook the assembly hall as the Hokage stepped back from the podium. The speech was short, but to the point. He sparked the pride inside almost every child listening to him, and inspired them to do what countless others had done before them: to protect the village and live by the Will of Fire. Traits that have protected and saved the village countless times in the past, and were reasons as to why Konoha was the strongest Shinobi Village in the Elemental Nations.

Sarutobi looked down at the crowd and sought out on particular boy in the front row…

_'Your son is going to become a Shinobi, Minato; please look out for him…'_

Naruto smiled up at the Hokage as he clapped; feeling more determined and motivated than ever. He couldn't wait for the classes to start and for them to learn real Ninjutsu…the only thing that bothered him was the slight pain that was coursing through his eyes.

* * *

**The End!**

**That was the second chapter of Cradle of the Uchiha Clan, and I hope you all liked it. **

**The next chapter will include more about Naruto and him activating the Sharingan. I know that his parentage doesn't like him to the Uchiha Clan at the moment, but it will be explained in later chapters.**

**PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW!**


	3. Sudden Change

I Don't Own Naruto!

**Cradle of the Uchiha Clan - Chapter 3**

* * *

"For homework, please read the first two chapters of your textbook and answer the questions listed at the end of each chapter."

Iruka Umino spoke as he looked up at his class of thirty, which was filled with first year students. It has been two weeks since the start of the semester and the teacher could already see some students becoming bored of all the theory and history lessons, but some were still going strong. The young teacher could see a lot of enthusiasm in many of the students, particularly in a young blond boy who would always sit at the front of the class.

Uzumaki Naruto. Iruka had never expected his best student to be an orphan who didn't originate from any Shinobi Clans; he was by no means bias when comparing clan students and civilian students, but usually the student coming from Shinobi Clans would have had previous training that would place them at the top of the class. Everything had mostly been theory so far, so the clan members still have their chance to prove themselves during the physical lessons, but Naruto had gotten the highest scores thus far.

"Man…I'm getting pretty tired of these readings." Kiba sighed as he shoved his books back into his bag. "I can only read so much on the history of the village and the founders of the village."

Naruto smiled and nodded. "The history readings are pretty boring at times, but the founders of Konoha sound really cool!" The blond packed his book into his scrolls as usual, which caused some other students to look over at the unusual and cool way of carrying books. "The Shodai Hokage was the most powerful Shinobi of his era, and Uchiha Madara was almost just as strong as him."

"I would have liked the story better if they actually describe the fight between them…all the book said was that the Shodai won and Uchiha Madara died." Kiba petted Akamaru's head as he placed the puppy on his head. "I wanted to read about their awesome jutsu, not just the outcome…"

"I guess I see what you mean…" Naruto muttered with an amused smile on his face.

"Hey guys!" greeted Chouji as he walked over to his two friends with Shikamaru. "Wanna get something to eat before going home?!" The Akimichi heir had a huge grin on his face while thinking about the delicacy around the corner from the academy.

"Sure, I'm in the mood for some dango." Kiba replied as Akamaru barked.

Naruto shook his head politely. "Sorry guys, but Tsubaki-nee is picking me up today for some reason and I have to go meet her." The blond boy sealed the last of his scrolls into his arm and walked away from his friends. "I'll see you guys tomorrow!"

"See ya later!"

Shikamaru sighed and slouched a little. "Let's go…then I'm going home to take a nap."

* * *

Naruto walked down the main hallway of the academy with a smile on his face; he had once again received praise from his teacher and got a good grade on his homework assignment. Everything was quite easy in the academy so far since it was only reading, and Naruto had been reading since he was very young. Most of his friends found the readings to be too heavy and tedious, but Naruto enjoyed the pseudo-bedtime story every night.

But despite his good grades and interest, Naruto still looked forward to the physical aspect of the curriculum. Being able to use actual Ninjutsu and battle with other Shinobi were the main reasons that motivated Naruto to join the academy. Of course he wanted to protect his home, but he wanted to use cool jutsu even more…

"Naruto!" cried a familiar voice from behind the boy, which made him look back with smile.

"Hey Sayuri-san…"

The Uchiha girl had become one of Naruto's strangest friends in the academy; she would often start conversations with him and sit with him during classes, but she was seemingly in a self-proclaimed rivalry with him. Naruto wouldn't really compare grades to his peers in class, but Sayuri would make sure that she knew exactly what Naruto achieved on tests or homework assignments. Naruto no problem with telling the girl, but he would get a little concerned when she gets angry when she loses to him.

"I heard you got full marks on your assignment…" muttered the girl with a smirk on her face.

Naruto inwardly sighed a little and nodded. "Yes, I did."

Sayuri grinned and pulled out her own assignment. "I got full marks too!" The girl was glowing in pride as she stood tall with her chest pushed forward. "This is the start of a trend, Naruto; soon I'll be beating you and tying you at least."

"You are so competitive…" muttered the blond boy a little annoyed. "You know I am not here to try to best you at everything…"

"But I am here to be the best in the class, and to do that I have to beat you!" The girl had looking at Naruto with a stern look and a slight glare, which, for some reason, made her look quite cute in Naruto's opinion.

"Well that's true, but I don't plan on losing so easily…" Naruto stuck his hands into his pockets and looked ahead. "The physical evaluations are going to start soon, so we can decide who is number one then…"

Sayuri smirked and looked determined. "You're on!" The girl looked ahead and saw her brother waiting for her at the front of the academy, so she sped up her pace. "My Nii-san is here, so see you later, Naruto!" The girl ran ahead as she waved back at Naruto, smiling as she did so.

"Okay, see you tomorrow, Sayuri-san!"

Naruto stood by himself as his friend ran off to her brother. Tsubaki had told him in the morning that she would be picking him up and to wait for her at the front of the academy. The boy looked around the front area where many of the parents came in to pick up their children, but he couldn't see his sister anywhere…

The boy decided to use his moment of silence to think about something very strange that had started to happen to him. Naruto noticed that every day at random times, his eyes would sting quite badly. When these random attacks of pain would happen he would be forced to shut his eyes and he would be almost blinded for the next few seconds. These attacks started out lasting only a few seconds at most, but lately it had extended to almost a minute. Kiba had noticed it today when it happened during his Shinobi Theory Class, but Naruto just told his friend it was nothing…

Naruto was getting pretty worried about it and do plan to tell Tsubaki about it soon…

"Naruto-chan…"

Naruto was broken out of his stupor when someone spoke from behind him, and he looked back to see Tsubaki looking down at him. He never expected his sister to appear from behind him since she would have to be coming from inside the academy, but apparently she was indeed inside. The other thing Naruto didn't expect was to see his Iruka-sensei's assistant, Mizuki standing next to Tsubaki…

"Hey Tsubaki-nee…and Mizuki-sensei." Mizuki was a young man about Iruka's age; he had light blue hair and a standard build. He was wearing a Chunin Uniform and, for some reason, had his arm around Tsubaki's shoulders.

Mizuki smiled down at Naruto and patted his head with his free arm. "Hello Naruto-kun…"

Tsubaki knew that Naruto was a smart boy and saw that he was already curious about Mizuki, so she decided to cut to the chase. "Naruto-chan, we want to tell you something…" The young woman had a blush on her face as she looked back at Mizuki as she knelt down to Naruto's height. "Mizuki-kun and I are dating now…and I wanted you to be the first to know."

Naruto stared back up at his sister blanking as he processed what she said. "Ummm…okay." The boy didn't really know what dating meant, but his sister looked quite happy so he was fine with it.

Tsubaki sweat-dropped at the response and ruffled Naruto's hair, "This will not change anything, it only means that Mizuki-kun would occasionally come with us to dinner…"

Mizuki smiled and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "You don't have to worry, Naruto-kun; I will be very nice to your sister."

"Okay…"

"So you're okay with this?" Tsubaki asked with a smile.

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Of course I am…I don't really know what it means, but you seem happy, so I'm fine with it."

Tsubaki laughed merrily and hugged Naruto to her chest. "You are so cute, Naruto-chan!" The woman happily held onto Naruto's hand and walked out of the academy with Mizuki. "Let's all go to Ichiraku for dinner!"

Naruto grinned brightly at the mention of his favorite place, "Yatta!"

* * *

The evenings in the Uchiha Clan Compound would usually be very peaceful. The small businesses inside the compound would start to close up and return to their homes to have dinner; the main road inside the compound would then have all kinds of smells flowing into it from all the kitchens around. The kitchen of the main house of the Uchiha home would always have the smell of tomato related dishes coming out of it because Uchiha Mikoto would always cook her little girl's favorite…

Young Sayuri, ever so lightly, hopped off her seat at the dinner table and stealthily moved behind her mother, who was chopping some vegetables for dinner. The girl bit her lips as her eyes gleamed at the right red tomatoes next to the chopping board.

_'Just a little further…' _Sayuri slowly reached from behind her mother toward the tomatoes; she was so close her fingers were shaking.

"No."

"Ow!" cried Sayuri with a pout as her mothered lightly slapped her fingers away from the produce.

Mikoto looked back at her daughter and gave her a stern look. "Go back to your seat; dinner will be ready in a little while…" She turned back and continued her preparation for cooking. "You can survive a couple of minutes without tomatoes."

Sayuri pouted again as she staggered back to her seat and sat down with a huff. "It is way longer than a couple of minutes…"

Itachi, who was sitting right next to his sister, was enjoying the scene very much; he was extremely grateful that his little sister could act so innocently and childishly at her age. When he was six years old Itachi was already trying to become a Chunin, and had seen things that could destroy any sort of childhood innocence…

"Behave, Sayuri-chan; your Tou-san will be back in a few minutes…"

Sayuri rested her arms on the table and looked to the side. "I just wanted a small piece…"

Itachi chuckled and patted Sayuri's head. "You really like tomatoes, huh?"

"Of course I do…" the girl mumbled as she looked back at the bowl of produce. "I love the taste so much…"

Mikoto suddenly frowned at the mention of tomatoes. To the Uchiha Matriarch, tomatoes weren't just her daughter's favorite food, but also the old nickname for her best friend. She could still remember when she was younger; she would avoid bringing any food with tomatoes in them to the academy so that Kushina wouldn't see them…

_'Kushina really hated that name…hated even more that there was a little resemblance.' _Mikoto smiled a little at the thought of a young Kushina. Her friend was a little chubby back then and had a round face, so calling her tomato was oddly apt and cruel. _'Minato certainly saw past all that…Kushina became the most beautiful woman in the village, and he married her right away.' _

Uzumaki Kushina was really Mikoto's sister in everything but blood. Ever since they met each other as children they had loved each other. They would play with each other every single day from the start of the academy, to when they became Genin. Kushina had stayed over at the Uchiha Compound countless times all those years ago, and her parents adored the red-haired fireball. It was only when Kushina started dating Minato that they started to hang out less, but even then they would often go on double dates; Kushina with Minato and Mikoto with Fugaku…

_'Fugaku really didn't like Minato back then…' _Mikoto shook her head at the fond memories of Minato besting her husband at everything. _'Well it took Fugaku down a peg…he was getting too arrogant for my liking anyway.'_

"Kaa-chan, can you help me train again later?" The voice of her little girl broke Mikoto out of her thoughts. "We are going to have to learn physical techniques soon and I want to be good at it."

"Sure…" replied the mother without turning back. "I'll help you after dinner."

Itachi smiled and leaned forward on the table. "What are you guys going to learn?"

Sayuri shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know, maybe some Shurikenjutsu or Taijutsu." Itachi nodded at her words. "Sensei said that we won't be learning actual Ninjutsu for a while since we don't have enough chakra yet."

"So you've all activated your chakra?" asked Mikoto interested.

Sayuri shook her head. "Not everyone did, only a few people in class managed to make the leaf float!" Iruka had the entire class hold a leaf on the palms, and every student had to try to force their chakra out and make the leaf float. He had said that it would be a slow process, and they might still be too young to have enough chakra to float the leaf.

"Did you do it?" asked Itachi, already knowing the answer.

Sayuri smirked and nodded. "Yep, I was one of the first ones to get it!"

"So who else did it?" asked the older brother again.

"Now almost half the class could do it, but at first only me and Naruto could do it!" Sayuri still felt a little annoyed that her friend managed to float the leaf before her. "Iruka-sensei was surprised that we could do it so quickly…"

"Wow, for someone not from any clans to activate his chakra so quickly is impressive; I would expect some of the other clan heirs to do it before him." Itachi said as he leaned back fully on his seat.

Sayuri crossed her arms and pouted. "Yeah, Naruto is so far the number one student in class, but I'll beat him soon!"

_'So Naruto-chan is the top student…' _Mikoto smiled sadly as she continued to cut her vegetables. _'I guess he is more like Minato when it comes to studying…' _The little blond boy that looked so much like Minato had been in Mikoto's mind since she had met him, and it wouldn't be out anytime soon. She had wondered if she should go to the Hokage and confront him, but thinking back to Shikaku's words, it would be better to let to Hokage deal with the situation. Naruto looked like a perfectly healthy and happy boy, so she should have nothing to worry about…but she still wanted Naruto to come live with her, his godmother. _'What the hell…I'm going to speak with Hokage-sama tomorrow!' _

"Having a rival in your class is a good thing; it makes you improve a lot more compared to when you are the only talented person in the class." Itachi thought about his best friend Shisui, the one person who could compete with him at the academy.

"Yeah, but Naruto isn't really competitive; he looks the same whether he loses or wins."

"Well that's because he is competing with himself…" said Mikoto as she finished her chopping and turned around to face her children. "I had a friend like that at the academy; he would only try to beat his old scores, and wouldn't really care if other people beat him."

"Who is that?" asked Sayuri innocently.

"Nobody you would know, sweetie…" Mikoto muttered with a smile. _'Actually, every Shinobi in the Elemental Nations knows him…' _

"Whatever, I'm still going to beat him and be top of the class!"

Mikoto smiled and kissed Sayuri's cheek before turning back to cook. _'I hope you two become really good friends…'_

* * *

Naruto was having a very good night. Tsubaki and Mizuki had taken him to his favorite restaurant for dinner, and he had three bowls of heaven in under an hour. Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku, even gave him extra barbeque pork for being such a loyal customer. Tsubaki, also very happy, bought Naruto a brand new set of Kunai and Shuriken that he would need very soon in the academy. All in all, the night was perfect for the boy, but the good things ended when he fell asleep…

The blond boy was rolling around in bed, seemingly in pain. His eyes were closed because he was still asleep, but his voice was crying out in pain. He gritted his teeth and his knuckles were white, but there was no sign of him waking up anytime soon.

**_"Pathetic little boy…" _**_muttered a booming voice from within Naruto's dream._

_Looking around at his surroundings, Naruto saw that he was standing in the middle of a large sewer system. The filthy dark water was almost up to his knees and he could have sworn that he felt something brush against his legs. But that was the least of the problems…there was a narrow hallway that extended to another room beyond the main part of the sewer system, and there was a very loud voice coming from it._

_"Who's there?!" exclaimed Naruto as he slowly made his way towards the other room._

**_"I didn't expect you to come here so early…" _**_said the deep voice as Naruto approached slowly. **"I still can't believe such a little brat is housing someone like me inside him…that Yondaime really enjoys mocking me." **_

_Naruto treaded through the water and walked into the extension to the sewer system, and from there he saw a towering gate. He could tell that the gate was made out of some sort of bronze alloy and it had a large piece of paper attached the middle of a very large lock. Even with the dim lighting, Naruto could see the large Kanji for "Seal" written on the piece of paper. From his own knowledge of Fuinjutsu, he could tell that there was something the piece of paper was holding back, and whatever it was…should be behind the gate._

_The voice scoffed as a strong vibration struck the ground. **"You look even more pathetic than I imagined…such a small and weak body."**_

_Naruto's eyes widened considerably as he saw something moving from within the gates, which he soon realized were tails. There were nine, very large, orange tails, waving around within the gate. Slowing moving his gaze downward, he found a pair of large slitted red eyes staring back at him. The young boy quickly let out a loud cry and stepped back in fright._

_"W-Who the hell are you?!" cried Naruto as the pair of eyes inched closer to the gate._

**_"Let's just say I am the monster parents tell their kids at night…" _**_said the creature with a slight chuckle in its voice. **"But for you, I am your worst nightmare and the being who would eat you in a very short time."**_

_Some orange energy started to leak out of the gate and seeped towards Naruto. The boy scrambled to his feet and edged away from the orange substance. He was breathing very heavily as his heart beat several times a second; he had never been so scared in his entire life…_

**_"The Yondaime thought someone like you could hold me…" _**_The voice chuckled again darkly. **"I wish he was still alive so he could see me kill his only son!" **_

_Naruto could barely hear anything besides his own heavy breathing. And when he thought things couldn't get any worse, a familiar piercing pain was felt. Once again, like the several times before, a jolting pain struck both his eyes. But this time, the pain was much worse. Naruto gritted his teeth as he fell to his knees; the pain was almost too much to handle._

_The creature was actually silent while Naruto expected it to taunt at him while he was in pain, but the boy couldn't care less about it at the moment. He could feel some moisture dripping from his eyes, and even though he knew that it was most likely tears from all the pain, but he was afraid that it was actually blood._

_"AAHHHHHH!" The boy snapped his eyes open, but he only saw red._

**_"What is this?!" _**_exclaimed the creature sounding shocked. **"Is this some kind of joke?!"**_

_The pain was still strong, but Naruto could feel some sort of power grow from inside him. He could feel his own chakra increasing by the second, especially the area around his eyes. He could feel something expand from behind his eyes, as if a large pool of energy suddenly gathered in that area._

**_"This is impossible!" _**

"AAH!" cried Naruto again, but his surroundings suddenly vanished.

At first it was only darkness, but as the pain in his eyes subsided, Naruto started to pick up on his surroundings again. He was back in his own room, he was lying on his bed, and there was no large creature ahead of him. The boy noticed that he breathing was still quick heavy and rapid, but it was calming down steadily…

_'What kind of nightmare was that?!' _The boy sat up on his bed and rubbed the sides of his face.

There was still some lingering pain in his eyes, and he could still feel the chakra behind his eyes. He tried to shake his head free of the pulses of pain, but it didn't help at all. With a sigh, Naruto lifted the covers off of him and stepped out of bed. He rubbed his eyes and used his memory to walk out of his room; the closest bathroom was just down the hall and he made his way into it.

The familiar smell of bathroom disinfectant filled his senses as he staggered over to the sink. Without really looking, Naruto turned the knob and let the cold water flow along his hands. After the water warmed up a little, he started to wipe his face along with his eyes. The water made him feel better almost instantly, and the air felt very refreshing against his wet skin.

_'That's better…' _muttered Naruto inwardly as he dried his face with the sleeve of his pajamas, which had designs of sheep all around it. The boy opened his eyes and looked into the mirror…and for a second he thought that there were two spot on the glass. He tried to move his face, but the strange dots followed his reflection…and soon he realized that the strange dots were his eyes.

With shaking hands, the boy reached up to touch the corner of his eyes…

_'What the hell is this?!'_

His usual blue eyes were gone, and in their place were a pair of blood red eyes with one strange tomoe symbols in each of them. There was also a black ring around his pupil, and along with the tomoe, it spun around slowly.

Looking around, Naruto also found that his vision had changed. Everything looked a little different, and he could see some blue energy flowing through his own hands when he looked at them. The seconds hand on the clock appeared to move slower than he remembered…it was as if his eyes made everything around him slower.

As Naruto focused his vision, the lingering pain in his head and eyes started to fade away. Soon everything was back to normal, except for the pool of chakra that seemed to have gathered in his eyes. Naruto felt his chakra reserves being constantly drained into that pool, but it wasn't taking too much. It felt weird; he didn't know one could even store chakra behind the eyes…

_'Is it a Dōjutsu?' _Naruto asked himself as he leaned closer to the mirror to get a better look at his eyes. _'I've never seen anything like it before…the only Dōjutsu I know of is the Byakuya of the Hyuga Clan.' _Images of blank white eyes filtered into Naruto's mind as he recalled reading about the Hyuga Kekkei Genkai a few days ago and the shy girl in his class that was apparently from the Hyuga Clan.

Naruto remembered reading that people with Dōjutsu would activate their eyes by channeling chakra into them, so based on that logic, by cutting the chakra going into the eyes would deactivate the Dōjutsu…

_'Okay…' _The boy closed his eyes and focused on his internal chakra network, something all the students were taught the first couple of days in the academy. Just as his Sensei had told them, Naruto started to feel the flow of his chakra, particularly on the stream going into his eyes, and tried his best to stop the stream.

Naruto relaxed his body and took in several deep breaths before opening his eyes again…

His reflection on the mirror once again showed his blue eyes. _'Oh thank Kami-sama…' _muttered Naruto inwardly as he breathed a sigh of relief.

The boy left the bathroom before anyone noticed that someone was awake in the middle of the night; the last thing Naruto wanted was to explain to Tsubaki about his eyes. He wouldn't know the first thing to say if he were asked about his sudden change; he would have to research on Dōjutsu before he could explain anything to anyone…

_'I'll go back to the library tomorrow…I still remember which section I found the book on the Hyuga Clan, maybe it will have something about this.'_

Naruto walked back into his room and lay back down on his bed; too awake to even bother trying to sleep. His clock told him that it was still three o'clock in the morning and he had many hours before he would have to go to the academy, so he just closed his eyes and let his mind wander.

_'Dōjutsu are usually Kekkei Genkai…does this mean my parents would have eyes like mine?' _Naruto frowned at the thought of his deceased parents and rolled over to his side; staring at the piece of white wall in front of him. _'Maybe I would be able to find out who my parents were with these eyes…'_

Unknown to the boy, there was a being deep inside him that was seething with anger after seeing those eyes. Never in its eternal life would it expect something so dreadful to manifest in another human's eyes…his host no less! The last man with such eyes brought all the Bijuu to their knees, and it didn't need such a powerful host…

**_'I need to get out of this boy quickly…before he masters those terrible eyes.' _**The nine-tailed being growled angrily as it sat in its cage. **_'Uchiha Madara…even after so many years you haunt me, you and your Sharingan.'_**

* * *

**The End!**

**That was the third chapter of Cradle of the Uchiha Clan, and I hope everyone liked it. **

**The next chapter will focus on Naruto researching on his new eyes and finding out some of its powers. I also have a little something planned for the next chapter that I really look forward to! :)**

**PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW! XD**


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